Policy Statements

B24K

(Statement below in italics is repeated from the Elon University Faculty Bylaws)

Elon University affirms principles of free inquiry and respect for the right of each person to her or his convictions. Academic freedom is the right of every faculty member to be responsibly engaged in scholastic efforts to seek, discover, speak, teach, and publish the truth. Elon University will uphold its faculty's academic freedom and will protect all its faculty members against influences from inside or outside the University which would restrict them in the exercise of that freedom.

At the same time, Elon University enjoins its faculty members to exercise these freedoms in a professional and responsible fashion. As scholars and teachers, they should remember that others may judge their profession and their institution by their utterances. Hence they should at all times be accurate, exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others, and make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution unless so authorized.

Any faculty member, regardless of rank or contract status, who believes his or her academic freedom has been violated, may petition the Academic Council for a hearing. Following the hearing, the Academic Council will report its findings to the President and to the faculty member who initiated the petition.

D26U

The administration of Elon University makes every effort to practice democracy in administrative matters. Authority for the administration of the University is vested in the Board of Trustees and in its selected administrative officer, the President. The faculty, however, has the responsibility for making the decisions that involve the teaching program of the University. Faculty committees are asked to make studies and to report to the faculty, which renders decisions within the scope of its authority. On matters beyond the authority of the faculty, the faculty may make recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The administration recognizes that the most important function of the University is that of teaching. The aim of the administration is to maintain an atmosphere that is conducive to good teaching and where faculty members can pursue the search for the truth in an atmosphere of academic freedom. In a democracy, such a freedom is obtained only as the faculty exercises that freedom and assumes its responsibility to guard that freedom against abuses.

D22J

Elon University recognizes that the most effective way of conducting University affairs necessarily entails the active engagement of all of its distinct constituencies. Thus, a vibrant, inclusive, and well-defined system of shared governance is crucial to the University’s success as an institution of higher learning. Elon’s commitment to shared governance acknowledges that collective intelligence leads to better decision making and creates an optimal environment for fostering academic integrity, delivering quality educational programs, and ensuring academic freedom and democratic practice.

Elon University is composed of multiple constituencies: the Board of Trustees; administrators with faculty rank (with titles ranging from Associate Dean to President); teaching faculty; support staff with faculty rank; staff without faculty rank; and students. Among the many facets of University affairs (from strategic planning to fundraising, admissions to curriculum), there are few if any that reside solely within the purview of one constituency. Cooperation, transparency, communication, and seeking out the counsel of a variety of University members should be the default positions on university matters.

Nevertheless, the constituencies that make up the University, while united in the common purpose of maintaining and furthering the University’s institutional strength, relevance, and quality, have distinct perspectives and areas of expertise. Having an effective system of shared governance recognizes that those differences, when used intentionally and successfully, enhance the University’s ability to govern itself wisely. It is appropriate, then, for the University to arrange the many rights, responsibilities, and duties associated with conducting University affairs among its various constituencies so as to best employ their respective strengths and talents.

For the purposes of defining more clearly how governance is shared within the faculty as broadly defined in the Faculty Handbook, it behooves the University to articulate which aspects of University affairs are the primary responsibility of each of the three categories of faculty as defined above. In general terms, these areas of responsibility are divided in the following ways:

Administrators with faculty rank have primary responsibility for issues that transcend individual schools, departments, or programs. These include strategic planning, coordination of the needs and interests of the various components of the University, and overseeing the institution’s financial resources and infrastructure.

Teaching faculty have primary responsibility for aspects of the University related to curriculum (including requirements for graduation, subject matter, methods and quality of instruction, and the evaluation of student work), research, faculty status, and those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process.

Academic support staff with faculty rank have primary responsibility for programs that supplement the academic curriculum by providing educational opportunities for students, implementing academic procedures, or otherwise supporting the educational mission of the University.

The identification of a particular aspect of University affairs as primarily associated with one category of faculty is not intended to exclude other faculty from conversations or decisions on that aspect, rather to recognize that in certain circumstances, one or more constituencies should have a greater degree of decision-making responsibility than others.

Graduate programs at Elon University are designed to complement the overall academic and intellectual life of the University community. Insofar as possible, both graduate and undergraduate programs use the same policies and procedures.

• Faculty - Faculty approved to teach graduate level courses are subject to the same policies and standards as contained in the Faculty Handbook - Employment.

• Curriculum – Approval of graduate courses and degree requirements (M34Z) is based upon the established process for undergraduate courses and programs. Following approval by the department and the Graduate Council, proposals are presented to the Curriculum Committee and then to the University faculty.

• Instructional Program: Policies and Procedures – The policies and procedures regarding the instructional program contained in the Faculty Handbook - Responsibilities of Teaching Faculty apply to the graduate program.

• Support Services – All University support services, academic and otherwise, are provided to graduate and undergraduate students alike. Included in these services are the library, technical services division, academic advising, personal counseling, and student activities.

• Faculty Load (E32E)

• Salary and Benefits – The same salary scales and benefits will apply to faculty teaching graduate courses as to all full—time teaching faculty at the undergraduate level. 

D25J

Elon University is committed to providing an environment that supports the creation of intellectual property by faculty, staff, and students in the course of their research, teaching, and learning activities. As a matter of principle and practice, the University encourages all members of the Elon community to publish without restriction the outcome of these activities in order to share openly and fully their findings and knowledge with colleagues and the public.

D28E

The general policy of Elon University follows the long-standing academic tradition that intellectual property is owned by the author or creator of the work. Exceptions to this rule may result from contractual obligations, from employment obligations, from certain uses of University facilities, or by agreement governing access to certain University resources. Variances from this policy must be negotiated by the author or creator with the Dean of the respective college or school and the Provost/Executive Vice President (for faculty and students) or the supervisor and reporting Vice President and Provost/Executive Vice President (for staff).

D33P

The Provost/Executive Vice President and the college/school Dean, in consultation with the President when appropriate, (for faculty and students) and the reporting Vice President and Provost/Executive Vice President in consultation with the President when appropriate (for staff) will administer and interpret the Policy on Intellectual Property to include any necessary negotiations for Intellectual Property rights with faculty, staff, and students.

The term “intellectual property” refers to tangible results of scholarship, research, teaching and advising, including but not limited to inventions, creations, new processes, innovations, works of art, audio recordings, films, lecture notes, musical scores, dramatic works and accompanying music, choreographic works, graphic and sculptural works, poetry, literature, textbooks and other books, distance learning materials, speeches, podcasts, documentaries, slideshows, educational courseware, and tangible research materials; that is, all copyrightable or patentable works, and the patents and copyrights that reserve rights to them. The term “creator” signifies the individual(s) who invents, creates, authors, or innovates with respect to the respective intellectual property.

This Intellectual Property Policy applies to works created by all classifications of faculty, staff, and students of the University on behalf of the University unless a written agreement exists to the contrary, as well as to work completed by independent contractors and consultants, including the following:

• The creation of the intellectual property was funded in whole or in part by an externally sponsored research program that allocates rights to the University, or as part of any agreement that allocates rights to the University. Ownership of intellectual property created pursuant to an agreement with any sponsor will be governed by the provisions of that agreement. Federally funded research has special provisions on rights to inventions. The Bayh-Dole Act gives the University title to discoveries and inventions arising from federally funded research. However, the University must grant non-exclusive use rights to the federal government. Also, if the University decides not to file a patent application on a discovery or invention and will not otherwise commercialize it, the University is required to return patent rights to the federal government.
• The creation of the intellectual property required use of University resources (e.g. facilities, equipment other than assigned computer, funding) and/or University personnel beyond that required for the creator’s professional duties for the University. In these cases, the creator and the University will negotiate the intellectual property rights and the intellectual property rights will be shared by the creator and the University in a proportion deemed appropriate by both parties according to the use of University resources.
• The creator was assigned or directed by the University to develop the intellectual property. In these cases, the University will negotiate a prior understanding or formal contract with the creator concerning ownership of the resulting intellectual property.
• The intellectual property was created by administrators, staff, or other non-faculty employees in the course of employment duties and constitutes work made for hire under US law, or otherwise automatically vests ownership to the employer.
• The intellectual property was created by a consultant or independent contractor.

Intellectual property created by students is additionally subject to the following guidelines:

• The University makes no claim to ownership of intellectual property created by students outside the scope of an employment relationship with the University or one of its employees, and the University makes no claim to ownership of intellectual property created by students not making substantial use of University resources (e.g., class projects).
• Students working on a project governed by a written contract/agreement to which the University is a party will be bound by the terms of that contract or agreement. In the absence of such a written contract/agreement, the paragraph #1 above will apply.
• Students who are directed to perform specific tasks that contribute to the creation of intellectual property (e.g., research students) will ordinarily have no rights to ownership of that work, regardless of the source of funds from which they are paid unless a written contract/agreement is established at the start of the duties. In cases where there is no written contract/agreement, the party who owns the intellectual property resulting from the rest of the work will ordinarily retain ownership of the portion contributed by the student.

For Faculty and Students: In the event of unresolved disputes concerning the interpretation of this policy and/or negotiation of intellectual property rights, the Chair of the faculty member in consultation with the creator will convene a panel of three peers to make recommendations to the Dean of the respective college or school and the Provost/Executive Vice President for consideration.

For Staff: In the event of unresolved disputes concerning the interpretation of this policy and/or negotiation of intellectual property rights, the staff member’s supervisor in consultation with the creator will convene a panel of three peers to make recommendations to the reporting Vice President and the Provost/Executive Vice President for consideration.

D34B

All faculty members, including any University staff employees with teaching responsibility or any position of authority with students as described below, are expected to maintain appropriate professional boundaries in their relationships with students. In keeping with the Elon University mission, faculty and staff relationships with students must maintain a central focus on student learning and development. Inappropriate relationships that potentially jeopardize the centrality of this focus are contrary to the mission of the University and counterproductive to the educational process. Intimate relationships between faculty and students or staff and students, even of a consensual nature, are inherently problematic due to the unequal status of faculty and students or staff and students. Therefore, any employee with teaching responsibility or other position of authority in relation to students may not engage in such inappropriate relationships with students. Pre-existing relationships are exempt from this policy.

An inappropriate relationship is defined as any romantic or physically intimate liaison. Positions of authority include, but may not be limited to, teaching, evaluating, supervising, coaching, or advising a student or student group.

Alleged violations of the Professional Boundaries Policy should be reported to the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Employee Relations who will meet with the student, the faculty or staff person involved, and others with relevant information to address the complaint in as expeditious and as confidential manner as possible.

Faculty and staff who are found to be in violation of the Professional Boundaries Policy and who wish to contest the findings should consult the staff grievance policy.

D22W

Elon Faculty members embrace the values of academic freedom and liberty of conscience, which are consistent with the Elon University Mission Statement and the University’s historic affiliation with the United Church of Christ. Elon faculty members accept and promote the aims and objectives of the University, show an overall concern for its welfare, and assume the following responsibilities.

As educators and scholars, the members of the faculty agree that the following principles represent the standards we aim to achieve in fulfilling our professional obligations to our students and to Elon University.

D28M

• To deal seriously and conscientiously with the teaching assignment, including careful planning and preparation of courses, regularity in meeting scheduled classes, clear explanation to students about course requirements, and fair and impartial grading
• To recognize that students deserve respect as individuals and have rights that must be protected; to have a concern for academic and personal problems of individual students, to give mature advice, to treat students courteously, and to use with professional discretion personal information about students which may come to the faculty member's attention
• To cooperate in strengthening and implementing the honor system on campus
• To seek ways to improve teaching effectiveness, through means such as exploring new ways of presenting academic subject matter, motivating students, improving methods of evaluating student achievements, constantly re-evaluating teaching methods and on-going writing and research following Elon’s teacher-scholar model
• To recognize that the faculty member serves as a model and exercises a great influence on students and therefore must strive to set high standards in academic excellence and in personal integrity
• To recognize that in his/her influential classroom role the faculty member should not take advantage of his/her position by repeatedly introducing into class discussions subject matter outside the scope of the course

D33K

• To seek and to state the truth in their subject as they understand it
• To keep up-to-date with developing knowledge in their academic discipline
• To advance knowledge in their academic discipline and to do so with integrity
• To conform to current guidelines set forth in the document "Ethical Principles and Review Procedures for Human Participants in Research" available from the Office of Sponsored Programs or the Institutional Review Board in all research involving human subjects

D29S

To demonstrate respect for the right of students, administrators, and other faculty members to hold divergent opinions

To seek ways to strengthen the educational program of the University at large

To participate in committee, departmental, and faculty meetings and in traditional and special University functions

To assume a fair share of faculty committee assignments

To avoid discussion with students of suspected incompetence, misconduct, lack of personal or professional integrity, or other possible shortcomings of another faculty or staff member, unless acting in an official capacity

To fulfill conscientiously all the contractual obligations for the period of time agreed and to give the University reasonable notice when resigning to accept another position

To be clear when making public statements that such statements do not represent the views of Elon University unless authorized to do so

In addition to these standards, Elon faculty members further recognize that, in order to protect our students and the institution, conduct must be carried out within certain boundaries.

• All employees with teaching responsibility or any position of authority with students must avoid inappropriate relationships with students. An inappropriate relationship is any romantic or physically intimate liaison. Positions of authority include, but may not be limited to, teaching, evaluating, supervising, coaching, or advising a student or student group. Pre-existing relationships are exempt from this policy.
• All employees with teaching responsibility or any position of authority with students must avoid any kind of overt sexual harassment or implicit sexual discrimination.
• Overt sexual harassment may be described as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other physically expressive behavior of a sexual nature where submission to or rejection of such conduct by a student may be used as the basis for academic decisions.
• Implicit sexual discrimination or harassment may be described as conduct which has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual's academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or demeaning educational environment.
• All faculty members must avoid any exploitation of students for the faculty members’ private advantage, including the acceptance of compensation for tutoring students under their professional jurisdiction.

D25N

Elon strives to attract gifted and well-educated faculty members who are deeply committed to the potential of their disciplines to enhance our understanding of the human condition and the world. As teachers, mentors, and scholars, the faculty members are dedicated to modeling the intellectual values they seek to impart to students, including a learned, reflective, and critical approach to life. In these roles, the faculty takes joy in the process of inquiry and sharing their knowledge with others. As active members of the academy, the faculty participates in professional activities that keep them current and enlarge the intellectual and practical opportunities available to students. And finally, as responsible members of the University community, Elon teacher-scholars also dedicate their talents, experience, and leadership skills to activities that sustain, develop, and improve the entire institution.

The Elon faculty embraces the idea that scholarship and teaching are inseparable because scholarship is the foundation of teaching. The scholarly and professional activities of faculty connect them to a vital intellectual community beyond the walls of Elon, ensure their continuing development as enlightened seekers, contribute to the body of knowledge and wisdom, and renew their enthusiasm to engage students. The Elon community is committed to creating an environment that allows the faculty to excel as teachers, scholars and mentors.

Elon University is principally dedicated to teaching undergraduates in and out of the classroom. Faculty members strive to instill in their students a commitment to intellectual endeavors and a life-long devotion to learning and the ideals of citizenship. They share with their students a sense of the history and vitality of scholarly inquiry that emerges from disciplinary depth and expands to interdisciplinary inquiry. All faculty members recognize their responsibility to convey a foundation of established knowledge, but their ultimate goal is to cultivate informed critical thinking, creative expression, and a desire to serve the common good.

While classrooms, laboratories, and studios are the traditional focal points of an intellectual community; scholarly inquiry extends beyond these environments. As teacher-scholars, the faculty members are committed to improving the content and pedagogy of their teaching. By developing classroom environments in which all persons are respected and informed engagement is valued, faculty challenge students to develop the skills necessary to understand complex issues and topics. Simply stated, the classroom is a place to challenge students to be engaged learners and to establish mentoring relationships that extend interactions beyond the traditional classroom. The challenge to be engaged learners extends not only beyond the classroom but even beyond the confines of the institution.

Elon recognizes, values, nurtures, and provides support for innovative approaches that strengthen the linkages between knowledge and experience through programs such as international study, service learning, cooperative learning, leadership training, undergraduate research, internship experience, and civic engagement. As a consequence of this broader view of faculty engagement with students, the University encourages productive interactions that blur the boundaries separating traditional teaching activity, scholarship, and professional activity. For example, faculty members may experiment with service-learning projects that combine classroom learning with direct applications in the local community, use their professional consulting expertise to develop case studies for the classroom, or employ web-based technologies to guide and enhance student internship experiences with employers located across the country. One of the strongest connections between disciplinary expertise and student experience occurs when faculty mentor students in the process of scholarly inquiry, encouraging and supporting presentations at student research forums and professional disciplinary meetings. Scholar-mentor activities combine traditional teaching, experiential education, and professional expertise to mold graduates ready to take their place as working members of their profession or to continue their academic training in graduate or professional school.

The faculty's ability to model intellectual engagement is based on their intentional and continual development as professionals. While they share common goals, each Elon faculty member possesses unique gifts, skills, training, perspectives, and approaches that enrich the academic community. The University recognizes and values the differences between individual faculty members and encourages each to grow and develop as a teacher-scholar. Thus, the Elon faculty members reflect the comprehensive nature of the institution and the variety of their disciplines in that they are scholars, mentors, philosophers, theoreticians, researchers, artists, writers, educators, and professional practitioners.

At Elon, professional activity is broadly defined as any activity involving the serious practice of disciplinary expertise. Scholarship is essential to an intellectually vibrant and enriching community, and so it represents the most fundamental form of professional activity. Other forms of professional activity include service to the profession, developing new research skills, taking special courses, attending workshops related to one's discipline, attending workshops on teaching pedagogy, and attending conferences, performances, or exhibits. As they mature professionally, faculty may serve as consultants and accept leadership roles in disciplinary organizations.

Scholarship is a creative process of inquiry and exploration that adds to the knowledge or appreciation of disciplinary or interdisciplinary understanding. It is the serious exercise of what is being taught in the education of students -- clear goal setting, adequate preparation, intense inquiry, and critical reflection. Elon University encourages and recognizes a broad array of scholarly endeavors just as it has adopted a broad view of faculty engagement with students. Scholarship adds significantly to our understanding by: 1) discovering or uncovering new knowledge or insights, 2) generating new theories and techniques that guide discovery, 3) integrating knowledge within or across disciplines, 4) applying knowledge responsibly to solve problems, and 5) developing pedagogical innovations that facilitate the dissemination of knowledge.

Distinct differences exist in the types of scholarly activities that are valued both within and between disciplines as a consequence of the unique historical development of each discipline. However, across all disciplines, recognized scholarly work shares some common features:

• The work results in a product, presentation, exhibition, or performance that expands knowledge, skills, or understanding that can be shared with others.
• The work extends beyond the limits of the institution.
• The work develops and/or expands the expertise of the faculty member and lifts the faculty member's standing within the institution and in his/her greater community (scholars, artists, researchers, professional practitioners).
• The work is reviewed by those outside the institution who have appropriate expertise.

The tangible results of scholarship include academic publications, presentations at professional meetings, grant proposals, artistic performances, musical scores, screenplays, art exhibits, computer software, patented inventions, professional manuals, video productions, and other work determined by each faculty member's academic department. Scholarship is also reflected in pedagogical innovations (such as textbook ancillaries, laboratory manuals and experiential activities) that are shared with the academic world outside of Elon. Works of synthesis that translate knowledge for those lacking expertise or summarize current understanding for those with expertise further represent important scholarly work valued by the institution.

Elon University is a rich intellectual community committed to providing a dynamic and challenging curriculum that emphasizes learning across the disciplines and encourages students to put knowledge into practice. Faculty model a life of learning through their engagement with students and their scholarly accomplishments. As a part of a vibrant academic community, they share with their students the joy of mental, physical, and spiritual transformation, guiding them to become informed and caring citizens of the global community.